Friday, January 30, 2009

This week in Melbourne has been increadible weather wise! Unfortunately, this extreme heat wave has forced me to not go riding (for those who don't know, I currently only ride a bike for recreation/fitness). Hopefully I will get to go out next week when it's abit cooler (even though it's only going to get to the low 30s). In the meantime, I will write a post on something which I happened to compile before the heat wave. Stay tuned for that post.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Alright, my third poll has now closed. Thanks to the eight people who had their say. Due to the nature of this poll, there is not too much I can comment on unlike my previous polls. The results are shown to the right:

It shows that visitors to my blog are cycling enthusiasts so to speak, which means people who are serious about cycling as well as the casual rider is also interested. It sometimes amazes me how many people are willing to participate in the "man vs. machine" fight for road space in a regular traffic lane. Personally, I would stick to nothing more than a marked bicycle lane but I have been on roads with a wide left lane before.

A new poll is now up. As always, feel free to have your say by choosing the option most applicable to you.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Sorry I didn't post these up on Friday as I previously stated. I simply didn't have the time, but I do now. Here is a few quick snaps I have taken of the current state of the construction of the Burwood Highway Pedestrian bridge. Riders who do not reside around the area and only cycle around this area occasionally should find the following images useful.

Approach to Burwood Highway on the north side.

Closer shot of the approach to Burwood Highway on the north side.

Burwood Highway northern ramp.

Damaged EastLink Trail sign which has been tossed aside as construction continues.

Burwood Highway northern ramp as seen from southern side.

New bridge spans which were delivered to the site on Wednesday.

Another obscured view of the two spans.

Close-up view of one span. Notice the handrails.

Where the southern side ramp joins the existing trail.

The southern approach ramp.

I simply cannot wait until this bridge is finished, along with the Maroondah Highway bridge later this year (hopefully).

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Although not a common issue on Melbourne's bicycle network, in the eastern suburbs, there is an emerging problem with the newly implemented trails which have recently been constructed. It is hard to know what trail you are actually riding on!

Take the example of these four trails: The Mullum Mullum Creek Trail, Koonung Creek Trail, EastLink Trail and Dandenong Creek Trail all intertwine and link and it has only been since June this year that the problem has been created. The simple question of "What trail am I riding on" needs to be answered. I will explain it as easily as I can here.

There are 2 parts to this post. The first is actually finding out what each stretch of trail is named. The second is an analysis of the intersection signage and why this confuses so many people! I will go through the first part initially. Please click the map below to view the full size.

In quick site news, I have also updated the top banner. I will change the banner on a regular basis to show the site is still active as well as places along Melbourne's network which I believe are perfect for placement in the top banner.

Just an update on the construction progress of the Burwood Highway Pedestrian Bridge at the intersection of Mountain Highway. For those with a foggy memory, the EastLink Trail currently crosses at this T intersection via three separate pedestrian activated traffic lights, which at the current moment, if a rider abides by the law and only rides when given a green man/bike light, it could easily take five minutes to cross from one side to the other! The new bridge would slash riding time to around 30 seconds. Quite an improvement I must say.

It was announced in a letter to local residents last November that the bridge should be finished early this year. The bridge reached another milestone today with the early morning delivery of the 2 bridge beams which will be joined together to construct the span over Burwood Highway. Whilst the design is different to other EastLink pedestrian bridges, in which there only the path and side walls, this bridge has the path, sides as well as a metal structure held up by poles with go up above head height then over the path as a partial covered way kind of structure. I will try to get some photos tomorrow and update this post.

In other pedestrian bridge related news, the Maroondah Highway Pedestrian Bridge has started drilling the pylons into the ground on the southern side for the access ramp to the main span while the East Malvern Pedestrian Footbridge is now CLOSED.A detour has been put in place along Malvern Road. I feel for regular Gardiners Creek / Scotchmans Creek Trail users having to put up with these long-term detours. At least the upgrade results are almost always worth the detours.

Who runs this blog?

I am a male who lives and breathes all things Melbourne, with a general interest in transport. I am an ideas man who wishes to gain more public interest in transport issues which sometimes get overlooked.